We evaluate the security posture of vendors and third parties connected to your systems per SAMA and NCA requirements, and build a continuous third-party risk management process — from pre-contract due diligence to periodic monitoring — to reduce one of the largest sources of indirect breaches.
What's included
- Inventory vendors and third parties connected to systems or processing data and tier them by criticality and access level
- Pre-contract due diligence through security questionnaires and review of certifications and evidence
- Assess each party's security posture against SAMA and NCA requirements and supply-chain controls
- Review the security clauses in contracts (right to audit, incident notification, data processing, secure exit)
- Build a continuous monitoring process and periodic reassessment cadenced to each vendor's risk level
- Address fourth-party risk, vendor concentration and over-reliance on a single provider
Methodology & standards
Inventory and tiering: build the vendor register and classify by criticality, data type and access level
Screening and assessment: issue questionnaires, review evidence and assess each party against the reference framework
Risk analysis: identify each vendor's gaps, rate its risk and tie it to the impact on your business
Contractual remediation: draft binding security requirements and a remediation plan for each high-risk party
Continuous monitoring: set a reassessment cycle, metrics and an alerting mechanism for material changes
Deliverables
- A vendor register classified by criticality and risk level
- Individual assessment reports per third party with gaps and a risk rating
- A security questionnaire template and a vendor acceptance criteria matrix
- Ready-to-insert contractual security clauses for vendor agreements and the data processing agreement
- A third-party risk remediation plan with ownership and timelines
- A continuous monitoring framework and policy with a reassessment calendar
Regulatory controls it satisfies
Typical timeline
The schedule depends on the number of vendors; an initial critical batch is usually assessed within two to four weeks, after which monitoring continues as a recurring process.
Common questions
Do we need to assess every vendor at the same depth?
No. We apply a risk-based approach; a critical vendor with broad data access undergoes a deeper assessment and more frequent reassessment than a low-impact supplier.
A vendor refuses the right-to-audit clause, what is the alternative?
We accept recognized alternatives such as a SOC 2 Type II report, a valid ISO 27001 certificate or a documented independent questionnaire, coupled with stronger incident-notification terms and monitoring indicators.